A Piece of My Heart
by nerdgurl1
Summary: A Modern Au of the novel a Court of Thorns and Roses. Rated M for mature themes. Feyre, the girlfriend of Tamlin, feels stuck in the world of corruption and confusion, which she has considered normal for the last 7 years. But as she is pregnant and engaged, her life is flipped by new people that have a agenda against Tamlin. Can she stay a housewife forever, or will she escape?
1. Chapter 1

I ran from the front doors, a hand over my stomach. I could not, would not, let that happen again. As I stood next to the towering skyscraper, a million thoughts flooded my mind, should I leave him? Can I leave him? If I did leave him then how could I survive on my own? These questions were pointless though, there was no way he would let me leave. I was trapped forever.

The towering skyscrapers' lights shined in the slowly darkening night. I decided to walk away from the building to wonder down the street. I heard my heartbeat and another one, beating steadily with ease. Although pregnancy involved some gross, annoying things, I could not be more excited with the outcome. I was around 6 months pregnant, and not in a great mood all the time. I tried to convince myself that the pregnancy hormones were why I was mad at my love, Tamlin.

Tamlin was a the CEO of Princetemps, a energy company in the city- Fruhling. We met in college. He was a junior when I was a freshman working many jobs to pay for my education… I was interrupted by a voice, when I was walking back towards the building where the party was taking place.

"FEYRE, honey where are you," Tamlin slurred. He had a bottle of liquor in his hand, and his tie was loose. "I'm right here Tamlin!" I jumped up, whimpering. My long, loose pink dress that was over my baby bump whoosed in response. He walked over, and this was not a normal walk, it was his drunk stumbling that I had seen too much in our 7 year relationship. " Come back to the party baby, I promise I won't be a bad boy," he whispered in my ear, putting his hand closer to butt. "Tamlin, if I come back up there, then start acting appropriate with company around." I was getting sick of his inappropriate touches and comments when people stood right there, and I hated it more when Tamlin yelled at me that it was my duty to stand there and be pretty as his girlfriend. I was so grateful for him and my life that I did what he told me. "Come on, baby," he grabbed my arm, and brought me back inside.

The inside of Princetemps headquarters were grand, the floor was decorated with traditional taste. There were flowers everywhere, and there was a smell of spring. As I was lead to the grand elevator, people greeted Tamlin with respect, and completely ignored me.

When we were finally in the elevator, he questioned, "Why aren't you having fun baby? All your friends are here." I rolled my eyes at that, I had no friends here, or any friends. And, he meant that Ianthe was here, who was NOT my friend. But I put a smile on my face, and said, "I am having fun, I just needed to step out for a bit because I wasn't feeling good." His face went blank with confusion, "Why would you not be feeling good? Is it your period?" he said with snark. And once again reminded him of the fetus that was growing in my womb that would soon be OUR child. He brushed off my comment, and sobered up in seconds as we reached the ballroom and bar of the building.

I put a hand on my stomach, and sighed. Time to put on a smile, and ignore all the rude glares and comments. I repeated under my breathe, "You love Tamlin, and Tamlin loves these parties," over and over again to myself as a reminder to keep going. The ballroom was grand with its high fairly high ceilings and elegant wall color and decorations. He grabbed my hand and walked to the bar, "Hey babe, do you want a drink?" Once again, I reminded him that I was pregnant. This caused me to repeat the phrase again- "I love Tamlin."

Luckily after his drink, food came out and we sat with his business friends and partners. They discussed a new advertisement for natural gas and petroleum to respond to people's worries about the environment. In my opinion, I thought that Tamlin should start producing renewable energy resources, but he would not like that idea because his father, and his grandfather, and blah blah blah ran the business. He continued to discuss new deals and whatever, and I continued to eat my food, when a man with dark hair and purple eyes walked in and made eye contact with me.

He is the most beautiful man I have ever seen, I thought to myself. But, I stopped thinking this as soon as I looked over at my love. His face was in tight, contorted fashion which meant he was NOT happy. The beautiful man walked over to the table with a smirk, and purred, "Well hello Tamlin," Tamlin just schowled and declared, "I don't remember inviting you- Rhysand." He spit out the name as if it was poison. He responded as if a cat with toying with a mouse, " My dear cousin, Mor was invited here as a representative from Kaunis Night, but she fell ill,and I as CEO had to come instead." He turned to me, "You must be the beautiful Feyre, Tammy's girlfriend. It is a pleasure to meet such a gorgeous lady." And before I could respond, Tamlin cut in and told him to get the hell out. Rhysand responded with a middle finger, and a walk towards the entrance.

Even though he had his back to me, I could feel his stare lingering on me. Tamlin murmured something under his breath. He was about to say something to me, but my phone rang. My sister, Elain, had called me.

When I picked up, I was bombarded with happiness. She discussed how her engagement to her boyfriend of a year, Azriel. She told me of how when they were going to do tulip as there flowers for the wedding because when he proposed when the were out gardening, one of the tulips had a ring inside and there were seeds placed behind the flower spelling 'Marry Me.' She then talked about the wedding plans, and how they was only one month left until her wedding, and then she asked about life with Tamlin. I responded with my usual, everything is great. Then we talked about the baby, and when I was going to have a baby shower, but our conversation was cut short by Tamlin. He grabbed the phone and told Elain that I needed to go.

Tamlin put my phone in his pocket, and told me to walk with him. When we were walking to the elevator, I realized a lot of people had left, and Tamlin's close friends went in the elevator before us. We waited for the elevator to come back down. Something felt suspicious as his arm went to my waist and pulled me closer. We waited for the elevator for a very long time, too long of a time. The elevator finally opened and we walked in. He hugged me which was especially strange, but the normal Tamlin showed as disgust covered his face when his lower torso bumped my baby bump. "You used to be thinner," he commented. I didn't trust myself to respond nicely, so I did not say anything. He continued on when I did not respond, " I can't wait for this baby to come…" my heart soared "then your body can go back to normal, and we can have some adult fun." And, my heart then plummeted. "Do you want this baby?" I asked him with complete curiosity. "Of course, but I don't like the pregnant part." A single tear threatened to slide down my cheek, but I wiped it away. This was no the first time Tamlin had voiced his opinion on pregnancy. The conversation ended as the doors opened to the roof. The roof was my favorite place in the building, the sky and flowers calmed me. Now the roof was decorated with roses and curtains. He lead me to the railing, and then he started speaking.

"Feyre Archeron. We have been dating for 7 years. You were a freshman in college, and I was a junior. I saw you on your first day on campus near a bench. You were hugging your sisters, and smiling. You were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. When I introduced myself, you shook my hand with integrity and gave me the biggest smile. When I offered to be friends after we exchanged numbers weeks after, you showed me love. We had a great friendship, and we have a even better relationship. Now I want to end the dating phase of our lives, and move to the next stage." I held my breath, waiting for the words. "Feyre, will you accept this next stage, and marry me?" He dropped to his knee. I stared at him with love, but also with something else. I wanted to say yes, yet something made me stop and think. Then the curtains dropped. Everyone was on the rood. They all stared at me, people who did not befriend me or care about me, just Tamlin. My sisters and father was not there. My college friends were not there. No one, I was utterly alone. Tamlin whispered, "it's your turn." And then I yelled out, "of course!"

But as everyone congratulated and chatted to me and Tamlin, that feeling still lingered. And, a piece of my heart chipped away.


	2. Chapter 2

The next couple of weeks were supposed to be, as Ianthe said, "wondertastic." I was going to be married after all! My life would be dresses, flowers, painting, babies, more babies, and more babies. Don't get me wrong, I was excited for the baby to come, but I was not sure that I could handle the amount of children I was supposed to carry.

And, this future I was supposed to have was being discussed at that moment. Ianthe, a wedding designer, and I sat at the kitchen table with bundles of cloth, samples of color schemes, and pictures of venues. Ianthe and the wedding planner were discussing the part of the country the wedding should take place.

"So, the wedding is going to be definitely exotic, and beautiful!" Ianthe beamed.

"So should it stay in Prythian, or should it go to the continent's beaches?" the wedding planner asked."

I interrupted, "Wait- could we have a more local wedding? I want to be close, so Elain can be the florist, and they can both be my maids of honor."

"Well… about that. We hired a more um extravagant florist," Ianthe emphasised.

"What do you mean? That was one of my only requests for MY wedding. At least, my sisters can be my bridesmaids, right?" I hoped.

"And about that-" Ianthe was cut off by Tamlin bursting in the room.

Tamlin stood tall in the doorway with his company advisors trailing close behind. Lucien- Tamlin's friends, my friends, and my sister's ex- walked behind, taking vigorous notes. The advisors stopped and left Lucien and Tamlin in the dining room/ kitchen. Tamlin breathed heavily and stomped away showing that he was obviously stressed. So, I got up and followed him down the hallway.

He stomped into his study, and he went to slam the door shut, but I stopped the door with my arm. He sat down on his brown, leather study chair and poured himself a glass of whiskey. I walked over with a hand on my stomach and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He stopped me with his hand.

"Don't you dare touch me with that thing in your womb," Tamlin snared.

"You mean OUR child," I stated frankly.

"If you're going to give me a hard time, just go to the room and wait for me." He yelled. He was downing his drink now. He was already drunk when he came back from the bar with friends early this morning.

"Honey, is something wrong?" I questioned with the most soothing voice I could think of. His response was just him turning away. He downed another whiskey.

"Stop being such a bitch, you getting more bitchy every single day." He snapped, he was now on his third drink. I could tell he was going to drink until he was drunk tonight.

I got up to leave when I said completely calm," I think I'm going to stay with my sister tonight."

Before he could respond I went to our bedroom and threw some clothes into a duffel bag.

I grabbed my bag, and I walked out without a single person questioning me. It wasn't until I was outside the huge house that I got a call from Tamlin; I ignored it and kept walking until I made it to the front of the development. I called Nesta when I was at a bench at the entrance.

"Hey, Nesta, could I stay at your house tonight?" I questioned, now choking down tears.

"Yeah of course! I'm still at work though," Nesta responded.

"I'll tell you what happened later. Could I get a ride?" I hoped.

"Sorry, I can't— I'm at work. And, Elain can't because she is at some important meeting." She explained on the phone.

I responded with a simple, "okay. I will get a ride. Bye."

She hung up, and I grabbed my bag. I didn't have any friends that could drive me, I wasn't going back to Tamlin's house. So, I started walking; it was not thaaat far. I walked down the sidewalk for a good 2 ½ miles when I started to feel really tired. It was not easy to walk for an extended time while pregnant. Another 3 miles went by, and I was starting to feel pain in my feet. I decided to sit down for a little when a black car drove up and stopped in front of me.

The window rolled down and...


	3. Chapter 3

Note to readers: I am so sorry for not updating this fanfiction sooner. I had finals at the end of June, and I did not have enough time to write this chapter. It also does not help that I have had a concussion since the beginning of June, so I'm very sorry for the delay. Luckily, I just got cleared, so updates should be more frequent from now on. Thanks for understanding and for sticking with this fanfic!

The rolling down glass betrayed the image of an attractive man. The purplish tint in his eyes were electrified by the setting sun. His hair placed the image of caressing his hair for hours in my mind. But, his smile was the most gorgeous thing about him. He was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. That man was the one man Tamlin hated more than anyone- Rhysand. I caught myself staring at his lips. I was engaged to Tamlin, so the only lips I should be gazing at are his.

His voice interrupted my thoughts (thank goodness), "Feyre?"

"Oh hello, are you Rhysand?" I responded disoriented.

"Yeah, I wanted to stop and ask if you were okay because you look like you have been walking for a while." He scratches his head and spike cautiously like he didn't want to intrude. He seemed different than before, one could almost say kind.

"Yeah I'm fine, I just went out for a stroll. And, are you trying to say that I look messy?" I laughed. I just made a joke, it feels like that's the first joke I had made in years. And by the beautiful, airy laughter that came of him made me believe I could trust him. So, I told him with all honesty, " Actually, I'm going to my sisters' house in the city and nobody can drive me."

"I don't mean to be a creep, but I live in the city, so I could give you a ride," he said hesitantly. But not because he didn't not want to give me a ride, it was almost like he was sparing my feelings. But if Tamlin hated him, could I trust him? I didn't have the most trust in Tamlin at the moment, so it didn't really matter what he thought.

"If I get in your car— and only if— how can I be so sure that you won't kidnap me and murder me." I said with fake arrogance.

"Don't worry, I totally understand your superstition about handsome, selfless, kind men" he blubbered, and I rolled my eyes "who help women in need."

" I'm not a 'woman in need,' I just am a very pregnant woman who has been walking for a little while, and could use a ride if this 'handsome, selfless, kind' man would warrant such a deed." I giggled along with Rhysand.

He replied seriously with," You could drive my car."

I stopped for a moment, not believing he was trusting me. Although the simple action of driving a car would be insignificant to any other human in the world, it was a big deal to be trusted with anything. And Rhysand sensed my stop, and he declared," Although we don't know each other, I trust you to not burn up my car into a fiery wreck." I chuckled at his easily earned trust and at his humor.

"Ok"

I grabbed the steering wheel with unease, but driving came back to me quickly and easily. I hadn't driven since I moved in with Tamlin— about 5 years ago. According to Tamlin, I didn't need to drive anywhere because he could or someone else could. In his opinion, women did not need to drive, but I swallowed my dignity and dealt with his flaws. Afterall, that was love.

I knew where Nesta's apartment was because of the frequent visits after fights with Tamlin. Visiting my sisters was one of the only freedoms that Tamlin allowed me. So, there was no need for a GPS even after Rhysand offered. We did not really talk much during the car ride, but afterwards he gave me his number.

"You do realize that I'm engaged to Tamlin." I cringed as I uttered those words, it was like an involuntary muscle twitch.

"I know, but if you ever need to talk or a ride- not sexual- then I'll help you out, that's what friends are for" He replied with a slight smile.

"We're friends? But we've only met once, and my fiance hates you." I retorted.

"Yes, we are because to make friends it does not need to be over hours of conversation or to have the exact same situation in their lives. To make a friends, you just simply need to help others out and get along with them." He claimed," so, I have helped you out and we get along."

"Okay, fine, we're friends!" I huffed.

"Ah ha! I win! Victory over Feyre..?" He questioned.

"Archeon." I giggled.

With that I got out of the car, and I thanked him. When I walked into the apartment building, a little flutter of hope arose through layers and layers of darkness- I had made a friend. I grabbed Nesta's hide-a-key from under her plant ( don't tell anyone, it's a secret). I walked in and waited until Nesta arrived home.

A couple of hours later, Nesta came home. She called Elain over for a 'sister club meeting'- a silly little name for mandatory sister meet-ups that we created when we were kids. That night we talked for hours on end. They tried to convince we, once again, to break up with Tamlin, but I could not do that to him. We discussed my wedding, Elain's fiance (Asriel, Ariel, I'd never met him), and Nesta's single-ness. Then we talked about their careers.

At about 1 o'clock, my phone buzzed. On the screen was "hey:)" from a random phone number. It must be Rhysand, so I add him to my contacts. I don't respond because Tamlin could see when my phone was opened, so I fell asleep and left my phone in Nesta's kitchen.

What I did not see though was Nesta and Elain open my phone and recognize the name. Also what I did not realize was a text sent through my phone saying, "Meet me at Cozy's at 2 o'clock tomorrow" or the simple response of, "sure."


	4. Chapter 4

Note to Readers: Updates should be more frequent now that my schedule is becoming more normal. I also realised how sucky the last couple chapters are (grammar-wise and consistency-wise), so chapters should be improving more now! Thanks for sticking with this story, and I hope you enjoy this chapter even though it is a little short.

When I woke up, I was bombarded with screams and panic. At first, I was scared that something actually concerning was happening. But no, it was Elain pulling out dresses from bags, and Nesta commenting on each dress and each accessory. When they saw that I had woken up- and they saw my confused face, Nesta said,"you have a date, and you're not getting out of it. I want that asshat out of your life ASAP."

"Wait, what?!" I exclaimed, now even more confused.

"We saw a text from a guy on your phone, and we assumed that you are finally going to dump Tamlin." Elain stated matter of factly, "I would have never met Azriel, if I had not realized Grayson was a horrible human being that was sucking the life and soul out from me."

"Yeah, it totally does not matter that I am pregnant with his baby, engaged to him, and live in his house."

"You never said you loved him," Nesta replied. And I realized I had not said it, it was not the first reason that came to mind. But, I was in love with him, so it does not really matter.

"And remember that I was engaged to Grayson before I left him," Elain continued.

But, I had tuned them out by this point. The only guy other than Tamlin in my phone was Rhysand, so they had asked Rhysand- a man my fiance hated- out on a date. This was the worst case scenario for getting Rhysand's number.

"Wait, did you ever specifically say date?" I asked, maybe this situation could not go horribly, miserably wrong.

"No" they said in unison, realizing that their plan had not been destroyed.

-Rhysand-

"Do you think it could be a date?" Rhysand asked his blonde cousin, Mor. His cousin was sitting at her desk with her stylish pants suit. She was

"I don't know. You guys just said you were friends, and Cozy's is a casual place, so probably not. Oh and there is the tiny fact that she engaged to our personal and professional nemesis," Mor replied.

"I know, I know. I was just asking if there was a chance," Rhys sighed.

"So, you really do like her, right?" Morrigan asked with hope for her bachelor-cousin.

He didn't respond to Mor's question. He did, in fact, like her; he liked her enough to try and break the family feud between Tamlin's family and his family. And, that was exactly what he was going to do, as he put on his suit jacket and walked out of his cousin's office.

When it was finally time to meet up with Rhysand, I wore a casual dress that made me not look like a huge walrus. I was walking down the street- it was only two blocks away- and I finally got there. Cozy's was a small restaurant/ bar, and in the afternoon, it was not crowded. As I walked into the familiar restaurant, a felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see Rhysand's charming smile.

"'Sup Feyre, you are looking absolutely lovely today," He said with a huge smirk across his face.

I rolled my eyes, and that was the start of our actually enjoyable time. The entire time, we were laughing and joking around. We had a lot of the same views, and I felt like I could discuss anything with him.

After hours of talking, I got a call from Tamlin. My face fell, and Rhysand made a funny, yet concerning face. I normally hated Tamlin's over-possessive calls, but seeing Rhysand's face made everything feel better. Is this what true friendship felt like?

I answered the call, and I immediately was berated with screaming. After he yelled and yelled, Tamlin explained that he had looked at my phone location, and he was mad because he claimed that I should be home by then. He was sending a car to come and get me in a half an hour.

When I hung up, I could not help feeling a little empty.

"Hey, are you okay?" he almost whispered. Those words, although simple, felt like someone had taken the world off my shoulders. Nobody had ever asked how I felt about anything. My sisters only told me I should break up with Tamlin (I knew it was out of love though.) Tamlin only did what he wanted with no regard for me, and Ianthe only did what Tamlin told her. At that point, I was crying. I was so done. Done with Ianthe constant pestering, Tamlin's bullshit, and just everything.

For the next twenty minutes, Rhysand just sat there and held me. He did not ask questions. He did not ask or command anything.

When I sat up, I could not describe the care in Rhysand's eyes or the trust I was feeling for him. It was just us two, and I could not believe what either us was doing until I felt my lips go to his. Our kiss felt like it was forever, and I did not break it off, I knew I should, but I could not.

Rhysand was the one to end the kiss. All he said was,"You, Feyre Archeon, are not a person who flows with the wind, you are a hurricane. You are a star who shines brighter than anyone else," and he left.

All of a suddenly, I was alone.


	5. Chapter 5

Sooooo, this story actually has a storyline now! I finally planned out what is going to happen, and how long the story will be! That's why there was such a long break. Hope you like chapter five! And just a quick warning, this chapter gets very intense.

*WARNING, this chapter may be upsetting for some people*

Tamlin's car was outside my sister's house when I got back. I knew what was going to go down. The look on my "valiant knight-in-shining- armor"'s face was a very un-chivalrous look. The pissed off look in his eyes said that I was in for a screaming match.

My sisters watched as Tamlin hand pushed me into the car. And, my pathetic wave to my sisters made them even more worried.

The car ride home felt unbearable. Not only because limos still made me uncomfortable, but because the car was a time warp. One second, the car was moving in slow motion, but the next second, was not a second- it was 0.000001 of a nanosecond. The pattern went on and on like that for the twenty minute ride.

I walked through the huge wooden doors of the house, straight up the huge stairs and into our bedroom. As soon as I walked into the huge room, Tamlin brushed away the golden locks from his face, and locked the door.

The ceilings were high and had light brown beams. The bed was on a platform with green sheets. The walls were a white. And, every accessory possible was gold. The room was extremely aggrandized to make Tamlin look even richer.

The grand room was now closing in on me as he stepped closer. I whispered to myself, " Tamlin would never hurt me" over and over again.

I thought the worst thing that could happen was some screaming, an emotional hurt. But, I would never, ever think that Tamlin would do what he was about to do.

I did not know what struck me first, his fist or the shattering of my heart. But, my heart was not the only thing that shattered; my face felt like it had a hole through it. I could not fully comprehend what had happened until I heard the screaming…

It did not even matter though, I was in a daze. No words. No yelling. No threats. Nothing could pierce the emptiness and heartbreak that bounced around my brain.

I did not even realize that I was on the ground until hours later, I straightened out my sore back from the cocoon of myself I had created.

There was no anger, there was only the dark abyss of my heart.

I got up from the ground and walked over to the bathroom. My eyes were blurred, but what they could see was the bruising of my hands. I staggered into the bathroom, and I saw my face: I was bruised around my right eye and my nose was not in the right direction. Then there was a pain in my stomach.

-two days later-

My arm was attached to something. What was it? What the HELL?! Why couldn't I move my arm without this string being attached to me? I opened my eyes to see an IV, and a hospital bed, and myself in the hospital bed! I looked around, no one was in the room.

I then went to check my baby, but I didn't feel the life attached to mine. My hand jerked down to feel no lump, no child. Where was my little girl or little boy? My due date was supposed to be coming up in a month or two. My panic lead to the heart monitor next to me start beeping faster. I was hyperventilating. My heart was beating so fast.

Nurses started running in, I think I was having a panic attack.

And once again, lights out.

-a few hours later-

The sound of the TV woke me up. Lucien was sitting there in the corner, I must've not realized he was there before.

"Lucien?" I murmured

"Oh my god! Feyre! Are you okay?" He jumped.

"Where's the baby? Where's Tamlin?"

"He might not be coming soon"

"What? Why?"

"He say the kiss"

"What kiss?"

He went silent. He was not going to answer that question. And then it hit me, Tamlin knew that Rhysand kissed me. But, how? Lucien simply pointed towards the TV.

Across the bottom of the screen printed "Senator spotted kissing pregnant girlfriend of the CEO of the company Princetemps." And the screen was filled with the picture of Rysand and I kissing.

This could not be happening! How could everything go so badly so quickly? Who had taken a picture of our meeting?

But, that was not important now; I needed to find where my baby was. I heard stories of babies being born early, and I was close to 9 months. So, I must have just given birth early. There was no other explanation.

"Lucien, I want to hold my baby"

He was silent. Why was he silent? Why was my baby not here? And, why was Tamlin not here?

Lucien, with tears in his eyes and a shaky voice, said, "he didn't make it."

"No"

"I'm so so sorry. You had a miscarriage a couple of days ago. Those pains were not contractions, you did not go into labor"

"No," I cried, actually sobbed. That could not be true. There was no way in the world that Lucien was telling me the truth.

So, I propped myself up and took off the white hospital covers. I looked around the light blue room, and I got up. The IV was restricting me, so I then ripped it out. The red blood ran down my pale arms, but I did not care because I was going to see my baby boy. Lucien tried to stop me from walking, but he was not going to hold down a 130 pound woman who was currently in the hospital. I bursted through the door and I was met with, what felt like, 80 nurses. Two asked why I had gotten up, but I just responded by asking where my baby was.

"I'm sorry honey, you suffered from a spontaneous abortion which was rare for how far along you were. The only cause for a miscarriage at that point is some sort of extreme violence"

My world fell apart in those 20 words. I knew why my baby was dead. I knew why my life was ruined in that moment, and I knew that it was because of _him_. The love of my life was the end of my life. My savior was my jailor. And although I had done something wrong, our love was supposed to be unconditional- not a love that hurt. If only Tamlin had listened to what I had to say and let me explain what happened, but he didn't. And because of the living hell I was now experiencing, all I could do was… suffer.

No action or word could capture the pain that was in my heart, so all I could do was fall onto the ground and cry.


	6. Chapter 6

One nurse pulled me up and helped me back to bed. Lucien sat there on the chair again with a solemn look on his face.

"I'm so sorry Feyre, I'm truly sorry" Lucien barely got out, I could tell he was upset too. I could not respond, I just didn't have the energy, so he continued,"You're sisters came a few hours ago, but they couldn't stay because of work"

After what felt like about 400 attempts, Lucien finally gave up starting a conversation. And a little bit later, he placed a bag at the bottom of the bed and just said, "here's some of your stuff."

Then, he left.

I got up, wincing, after he left and went through the bag. The was some of my favorite books, my cell phone, sweatpants, a t-shirt, and some toiletries. I put on the clothes, sick of the stupid blue hospital-gown, and checked my phone.

On the screen, there were a lot of texts from Rhysand. I read them as I scrolled through…

"Hey, did you get home ok?"

"?"

"Never got a response"

"I'm really sorry for all the texts :/, just worried"

"FEYRE! I JUST SAW ON THE NEWS THAT THE GIRLFRIEND OF THE CEO OF PRINCETEMPS IS IN THE HOSPITAL?!"

I could tell he was worried, and other might mistake it for being obsessive, but I've seen obsessive, and this was just worry. I then decided that I would call him after I called my sisters.

I touched Nesta's contact name and waited, but the machine said that the call was not going through. So, I then tried calling Elain, but once again, the call was not getting through. So, then I called Rhysand, and then there was the same message. Was there something wrong with my phone. I walked outside of the hospital room, and I asked the man at the desk in the middle of the room.

"Excuse me? Is there a phone that I could borrow for a few seconds here?" I asked

"Yes, it's down the left hallway on the wall-" He started, looking down at a vanilla folder. "Oh, I'm sorry the phone is not available at this moment." It was like he saw me and changed his answer.

He smiled, something was definitely off.

I walked back to my room and unlocked my phone again. I went to settings, but there was a password now. What had happened? There was only one person that could have set up this- Tamlin. And my suspicion was confirmed when my call got through to him.

"Hi princess, I'm glad you finally called me." Tamlin said soothingly

"He's gone."

"I know, and I'm so sorry."

"He's gone, he's gone, he's gone"

"It's ok, don't worry. I'll give you another baby soon enough."

"Wait, but-"

"I have to go to a meeting now, but do not try to call anyone else but me. I saw your calls to Rhysand and your sisters, and the nurses will notify me when you try to use the public phones. Bye" He hung up.

He did not even ask me how I was, he did not seem to care that we lost our child, he was trapping me here. There was no escape.

I sat on my bed for hours: the sunlight that coursed through the window slowly turned to darkness.

Finally, my daze was interrupted by a person.

"Princess" Tamlin said while opening the door.

"I brought some art stuff for you." He continued, laying down a notebook and some colored pencils. I appreciated it, but I wanted to leave, not _color_.

"When can I go home?" I sat where I was on the bed, facing away from the door.

"You're not coming home right away." He stated, still in the doorway.

"What? Why?" I finally turned to him.

"You're going to stay here until your body can have another baby," he continued, still at the doorway. The lights were off in the room, but the hallway was lit up. This created a shadow on the floor of Tamlin.

"I want to wait a little. I really wanted to be a mother, but I don't think I can be pregnant again for some time" I explained, sounding completely desperate.

"No, we're going to have another baby as soon as we can"

"Tamlin, I don't think I can do it again-"

"NO!" He walked from the door, shut it, and he grabbed me by the shoulders. "THAT IS NOT YOUR CHOICE! YOU TOUCHED ANOTHER MAN. AND NOW YOU NEED TO STOP BEING A LITTLE BITCH AND LEARN YOUR PLACE!"

Spit was on my face from his yelling, and I whispered, "please.

My plea meant nothing to him,. The years of pain, hate, and sorrow bottled up was expressed in one simple, quite word. It didn't ask for anything but acknowledgment and a tiny bit of respect.

But, my plea was dismissed as a horrible, disfigured look contorted his face.

"Please? That is all you have to say to me? Do you understand that without me, you are nobody? That nobody but me cares for you? Do you not realize that everything I do benefits you in the end? And, somehow, you don't know your place! Now put on the damn ring and realize that you are not a victim to some great tragedy or something," he yelled, and then he grabbed my shoulders. He dug his nails into my skin as he went of his rant, and by the time he stopped, blood dripped down the skin of my back.

Alone. I was truly alone even when my soon-to-be-husband stood right next to me.

Empty. Just. Empty. My heart was squeezed of all shock and emotions.

"Do not try to leave this room or I will have a million fucking chains attached to every part of your body," he walked out and slammed the door. "Lock the door and if she tries to leave then call me, Lucien, and security."

Then he, along with my heart, was gone.


	7. Chapter 7

I was floating. I was up in the clouds with the sun warming my face. There was a little bundle in my arms, but when I looked down, I saw a skeleton. The bones had blood coated on them, and the bugs were eating pieces of skin which were sliding off the bones. I screamed and screamed. Then, I was falling as the sky became grey. There was no end- I couldn't escape.

"Ms. Archeon! Wake up!" a nurse said.

"I'm sorry about that-" I responded as I lifted myself up. But, the nurse walked away, ignoring my apology.

I was so done with the crappy treatment from Tamlin and, from Tamlin, the nurses.

I was going to bust out of here.

Escape.

I looked through the objects that Lucien had brought me: paint, paint brushes, clothes, and paper. And, I thought of the most stupid plan imaginable.

I grabbed the paint and paintbrushes and got to work on my face. I painted my face to make a beard, bushy eyebrows, and different features. Since it was not makeup, it was not perfect, but it would do the job. I put on my unfitted jeans and baggy sweatshirt. I stuffed paper inside of the clothes to make myself look bigger and unrecognizable. I had lost so much weight in the last two weeks that nobody would be able to tell it was me. With some finishing touches, I was done.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's note: Sorry that I haven't posted lately! I hope everyone has been safe, happy, and healthy during these crazy times. Enjoy this chapter!

The paint was flaky and unnatural- the fake facial hair and emphasized bags looked odd. My baggy sweatshirt over the paper made me look like mall Santa. And, my ill-fitting jeans made me look like I would trip any moment over the bootcut. After creating my horrible costume, I had to start my plan. I turned on the lights in the bathroom and closed the door. Next, I pressed the help button on my bed. Lastly, I hid behind the couch next to the door before the nurse could walk inside the room. It was a horrible plan. Yet, it would have to suffice. When the nurse finally walked inside, she looked around the room until she saw the closed bathroom door. She questioned, "hello, Feyre? Are you in there?" After hearing no response, she got out her master key and opened the bathroom door. She entered the room, and I slipped out from behind the couch. Without making a noise, I tip-toed into the hallway.

There was nobody in the hallway. So, I walked around until I found an elevator. As I walked inside and pressed the button for floor number 1, two nurses ran down the hallway talking about the missing patient in room 431. My body froze- room 431 was my hospital room. So, I ducked my head down even lower and pulled my hoodie over my head more. I pressed the button and waited.

The floor numbers switched and switched until they stopped at floor number 2. My chest filled with panic once again. I was so, so, so close. I could not get caught now, right? I had come too far. The door slid open to reveal a familiar tall, dark-haired man- Rhysand.

-Rhysand-

I stared down at my phone. The picture of my mom, sister, and I stared back at me. At that point, I was happy. They were still there. I kept looking down at my phone as I walked into the elevator. I didn't notice the person in the corner until I felt them staring. I raised my eyes to see Feyre.

"Feyre?" I half-exclaimed, half-asked.

"Rhysand, I missed you so much" Feyre whimpered as she hugged me.

"Are you okay? What happened?" I blubbered as I held her closer to myself.

She did not answer, so I wrapped my arms around her fully. I realized that my torso felt her ribs and no baby bump. With confusion, I pulled away slightly to look at her. But, she shoved me closer to her. Whatever must have happened, she would tell me when she was ready. I knew in that moment that if she needed anything at all, I would do anything to help her. These feelings swelled up in my chest, so I continued to hold her. My hand touched her shoulders, and she flinched. My heart filled with terror as she flinched to my touch. Something very bad must have happened.

"Feyre? Whatever happened, you can tell me on your terms, but you need to tell me if you're in danger." I plead with her.

"Please." She whimpered, "get me out of this hospital."

That please meant everything to me. Without another question, I helped her sneak out of the building. I walked ahead of her, blocking her from cameras, until we were out of the building. Outside of the turning, glass door, we stood in the middle of the crowded sidewalk. I turned around to see if she was okay. I did not see a woman covered in a bad disguise; I saw a woman finally free. The corners of her mouth turned up, and a single tear rolled down her check, smearing the paint slightly.

"I'm finally free," she whispered to herself.

For some reason, I do not think she was just talking about her freedom from the hospital.

-Feyre-

I stared out into the crowded streets; the cars, people, and signs excited me; it made me feel alive again.

Well, almost alive.

The adrenaline high of my newfound freedom was soon ruined by my despair and fear. What was Tamlin going to do to me? How would I hide from him? Should I hide from him? He is still my fiance after all. But, a fiance does not hit you, degrade you, or kill your child. I was done, scared, but still done.

Rhysand finally interrupted my silence with, "I'm going to bring you to my house- if that's okay with you, of course."

"Yes, thank you so much," I responded.

We walked down the street. Rhysand chatted to fill the silence, and I just listened. I actually learned a lot about him when he was talking. He had gone to college in Illyria, and he lives in Velaris for the majority of the year. He's currently in Fruhling to help a friend move to Velaris. Next, he told me about how he played tennis for years which led to him suggesting that we go play a match some time. Rhysand continued to discuss things about himself and random topics.

Talking to Rhysand was so different than talking to Tamlin. When Tamlin talked about himself, it was meant to show off every amazing thing about him, to satisfy his need to talk. When Rhysand talked about himself, he talked because he genuinely wanted me to know about him. He wanted me to see the vulnerable and strong. I heard the hope of him wanting to know everything about me. He talked about himself to get me to trust him and ignore my trauma and sorrows for a little bit. It was… refreshing.

Rhysand then mentioned something that required me to respond: "I'm really into novels, are you?"

I stopped in my tracks and responded excitedly, "Yes, I love to read."

"What's your favorite book?" He asked.

"My favorite is House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas"

"Seriously? I love that book so much!"

"Oh my god! That's crazy!"

"I never knew I would find a fellow Crescent City fan!"

"A fan? I'm not just a fan! I'm superfan! I actually do fanart as well," I exclaimed, confident and sheepish at the same time.

"You need to show me some time!" He stated.

I stopped in my tracks. I have not shown my paintings to people since I had met Tamlin. I had attended college on an art scholarship which only grew my love for art even more. But, Tamlin had suggested that I drop out after we became serious. Tamlin showed me a place of wealth and relaxation- two things I had never experienced in my life. Yearning for a time of no constant work and struggle, I agreed to drop out. After a year or two, I had tried to go back, but he insisted that I could not be a true girlfriend if I was not home. When I had finally gotten through to Tamlin (after years and years of begging), I found out that I was pregnant. Once again, my answer was no.

I stayed silent for the rest of the walk. I could not muster my soul to be vulnerable again. Although to most, it seems like 'just art,' it was more than that to me. And, I was not quite ready to show myself to the world. Rhysand seemed to sense the mood and did not question me again. He walked next to me, silently. He did not judge me. Rhysand simply grabbed my hand, gave it a supportive squeeze, and kept walking next to me.

It really was refreshing.


End file.
